[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Dengvaxia haste makes waste’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
EDITORIAL
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
February 17, 2018
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
THE UNDUE haste in the implementation of the government’s dengue vaccination program became apparent when, on Nov. 29, 2017, or more than a year after the program was started in 2016, Sanofi Pasteur released an updated information on Dengvaxia – that it “should not be recommended” for those not previously infected by dengue virus because “severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection.” By this time, 837,000 public school students and some 30,000 private school students were already vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a marketing license for Dengvaxia two years earlier, in 2015. Had the Department of Health (DOH) and FDA waited some time, the public may have benefitted from the late update of Sanofi and many more were spared from the possible increased risks.
There are questions on the ease of getting the funds for Dengvaxia when other public health programs were severely lacking of funds. The dengue vaccination program was never included in the proposed National Expenditure Program for 2014, 2015 or 2016. For 2015 and 2016, the allotment for Expanded Program for Immunization for all vaccines was only P3 billion to P4 billion while for emerging and reemerging diseases including HIV/AIDS, dengue and other food and water-borne diseases only P700 million to P1 billion was allotted. Yet in December 2015 the Department of Budget and Management was able to realign in less than a month savings worth P3.5 billion from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund to the Dengvaxia procurement.
Now, despite DOH’s suspension of the dengue vaccination program and the FDA’s suspension of Dengvaxia license, public anxiety and outcry continues. It did not help to assuage people that Sanofi refunded P1.16-billion worth of unused Dengvaxia vaccines. Sanofi refused to refund the cost of the used vaccines as it “will cause confusion and send the wrong impression of inefficacy” which a Sanofi official said is not the case.
The people’s confusion, anger and anxiety mount each day that involved public officials and Sanofi are not accepting any accountability, and that no indemnification are being received by the families of vaccinated children. With so many investigations going on, so many agencies looking into the issue, and so many experts trying to outdo each other, people are still looking and waiting for any assurance that those who committed grave negligence and placed people’s health at risk will be held accountable.
Now, many families are refusing other vaccines and immunization, even for those already tested and implemented long ago like DPT, OPV and BCG due to dengue mass vaccination scandal. This may pose future long-term public health problems like outbreaks of otherwise eradicated communicable diseases.
Indeed, haste makes waste.
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
